bear
verb (used with object)
to hold up; support.
bear
1 American
[bair]
/ bษษr /
verb (used with object)
bore,
bare,
borne,
born,
bearing
-
to hold up; support.
to bear the weight of the roof.
-
to hold or remain firm under (a load).
The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.
-
to bring forth (young); give birth to.
to bear a child.
-
to produce by natural growth.
a tree that bears fruit.
- Synonyms:
- yield
-
to hold up under; be capable of.
His claim doesn't bear close examination.
-
to press or push against.
The crowd was borne back by the police.
-
to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.).
to bear oneself erectly.
-
to conduct (oneselfโ).
to bear oneself bravely.
-
to bear the blame.
-
to sustain without yielding or suffering injury; tolerate (usually used in negative constructions, unless qualified).
I can't bear your nagging. I can hardly bear to see her suffering so.
-
to be fit for or worthy of.
It doesn't bear repeating.
-
to carry; bring.
to bear gifts.
-
to carry in the mind or heart: to bear malice.
to bear love;
to bear malice.
-
to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
-
to render; afford; give: to bear testimony.
to bear witness;
to bear testimony.
-
to lead; guide; take.
They bore him home.
-
to have and be entitled to.
to bear title.
-
to bear a resemblance.
-
to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear the cost.
to bear responsibility;
to bear the cost.
-
to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively.
the relation that price bears to profit.
-
to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear an inscription.
to bear traces;
to bear an inscription.
-
to have and use; exercise: to bear sway.
to bear authority;
to bear sway.
verb (used without object)
bore,
bare,
borne,
born,
bearing
-
to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear left at the fork in the road.
to bear west;
to bear left at the fork in the road.
-
to be located or situated.
The lighthouse bears due north.
-
to bring forth young or fruit.
Next year the tree will bear.
verb phrase
-
bear with to be patient or forbearing with.
Please bear with me until I finish the story.
-
bear down on / upon
-
to press or weigh down on.
-
to strive toward.
-
to approach something rapidly.
-
Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward.
The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.
-
-
bear up to endure; face hardship bravely.
It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.
-
bear out to substantiate; confirm.
The facts bear me out.
-
bear off
-
Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
-
Nautical. to steer away.
-
Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.
-
-
bear on / upon to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to.
This information may bear on the case.
-
bear down
-
to press or weigh down.
-
to strive harder; intensify one's efforts.
We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.
-
Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship.
The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.
-
idioms
-
bear false witness. see bear false witness.
-
bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose.
Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.
-
bear witness. see bear witness.
bear
2
American
[bair]
/ bษษr /
noun
-
bears,
plural
-
bear
plural
-
any of the plantigrade, carnivorous or omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae, having massive bodies, coarse heavy fur, relatively short limbs, and almost rudimentary tails.
-
any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.
-
a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.
-
a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull).
-
Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc..
a bear for physics.
-
Astronomy. Bear, either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
-
Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
-
Bear. Russia.
adjective
verb (used with object)
beared,
bearing
idioms
Bear
3
American
[bair]
/ bษษr /
noun
bear
1
British
/ bษษ /
verb
-
to support or hold up; sustain
-
to bring or convey
to bear gifts
-
to take, accept, or assume the responsibility of
to bear an expense
-
(past participle bornin passive use except when foll by by) to give birth to
to bear children
-
(also intr) to produce by or as if by natural growth
to bear fruit
-
to tolerate or endure
she couldn't bear him
-
to admit of; sustain
his story does not bear scrutiny
-
to hold in the conscious mind or in one's feelings
to bear a grudge
I'll bear that idea in mind
-
to show or be marked with
he still bears the scars
-
to transmit or spread
to bear gossip
-
to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness )
-
to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc)
she bore her head high
-
to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison)
his account bears no relation to the facts
-
(intr) to move, be located, or lie in a specified direction
the way bears east
-
to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title )
-
to give assistance
-
to bring into operation or effect
he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation
bear
2
British
/ bษษ /
noun
-
any plantigrade mammal of the family Ursidae : order Carnivora (carnivores). Bears are typically massive omnivorous animals with a large head, a long shaggy coat, and strong claws See also black bear brown bear polar bear
-
any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear
-
a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person
-
a teddy bear
-
stock exchange
-
a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase
-
( as modifier ) Compare bull 1
a bear market
-
verb
Bear
3
British
/ bษษ /
noun
-
the English name for Ursa Major Ursa Minor
-
an informal name for Russia
bear
More Idioms
Usage
Whatโs the difference between bear and bare? As a verb, bear commonly means to endure something negative (as in I canโt bear to watch) or to carry, hold up, or support (as in The roof canโt bear that much weight), while as a noun it refers to the big furry animal (like grizzly bears and polar bears). Bare can be an adjective that means uncovered (as in bare feet) or empty or without the usual contents (as in bare cabinets or bare walls), or a verb meaning to reveal or open to view (as in bare your secrets). Bare is most commonly used as an adjective, usually involving something uncovered or empty. As a verb, bear is often used in the context of holding or carrying things, including in literal, physical ways (as in bear a load or bear weight) and in figurative ones (as in bear a grudge). To remember the difference in spelling, remember that bears have ears, and they are able to bear a lot of weight because of how big and strong they are, but they are never bare because they are covered in fur. Hereโs an example of bear and bare used correctly in a sentence. Example: Why does the bear never wear shoes? Because he prefers bare feet. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between bear and bare.
Commonly Confused
Since the latter part of the 18th century, a distinction has been made between born and borne as past participles of the verb bear1 . Borne is the past participle in all senses that do not refer to physical birth: The wheatfields have borne abundantly this year. Judges have always borne a burden of responsibility. Borne is also the participle when the sense is โto bring forth (young)โ and the focus is on the mother rather than on the child. In such cases, borne is preceded by a form of have or followed by by: Anna had borne a son the previous year. Two children borne by her earlier were already grown. When the focus is on the offspring or on something brought forth as if by birth, born is the standard spelling, and it occurs only in passive constructions: My friend was born in Ohio. No children have been born at the South Pole. A strange desire was born of the tragic experience. Born is also an adjective meaning โby birth,โ โinnate,โ or โnativeโ: born free; a born troublemaker; Mexican-born.
Synonym Usage
Bear, stand, endure refer to supporting the burden of something distressing, irksome, or painful. Bear and stand are close synonyms and have a general sense of withstanding: to bear a disappointment well; to stand a loss. Endure implies continued resistance and patience in bearing through a long time: to endure torture.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of bear1
First recorded before 900; Middle English beren, Old English beran; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German beran, Dutch baren, Old Frisian, Old Norse bera, Gothic bairan, German (ge)bรคren, Russian berรซt โ(he) takes,โ Albanian bie, Tocharian pรคr-, Phrygian ab-beret โ(he) brings,โ Latin ferre, Old Irish berid โ(he) carries,โ Armenian berem, Greek phรฉrein, Sanskrit bhรกrati, Avestan baraiti; from Indo-European bher- ( see -fer, -phore)
Origin of bear2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bere, beare, beor(e), Old English bera; cognate with Frisian bฤr, Dutch beer, Old High German bero, German Bรคr; from Proto-Germanic beran- literally, โthe brown oneโ; akin to Old Norse bjวซrn, bersi; compare Lithuanian beฬฬras โbrownโ; cf. bruin
Explanation
To bear is to carry or endure, whether by physical or mental force. If you can bear to read on, you'll find out all the different ways to use the word bear. Obviously you know the big hairy mountain-roaming animal, but you might not have heard about a bear on Wall Street โ an investor who is pessimistic about the market. In its verb form, bear is rooted in the Old English beran, meaning โto bring forth, sustain, endureโ and more. So you can bear (or carry) a grudge. You can bear (or give birth to) children. Or you can bear (or stand) to listen to your great aunt tell the same story for the umpteenth time if you have a kind soul.
Vocabulary lists containing bear
ACT Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com โ one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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"The Banana Tree," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He assured Sen. John Cornyn that “other agencies or departments” somehow binds only the IRS and Treasury, a reading Cornyn told him the text will not bear.
From Slate โ Aug. 10, 2026
Before his death three decades later he arranged to leave most of his fortune to establish the annual prizes that now bear the family’s name.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 9, 2026
Last month’s incidents have renewed questions about who should bear the cost of defending small, underfunded U.S. municipalities from potential attacks from nation-state hackers.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 8, 2026
There is one final bit of irony: Cornell’s longtime unofficial mascot is Touchdown the Big Red Bear, a tradition dating to 1915, when the football team once adopted a live black bear.
From Salon โ Aug. 8, 2026
Ask the World Spirit to destroy the bear?
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Jackie and Shadow had been mates since 2018, the Friends of Big Bear Valley website said.
From BBC โ Aug. 10, 2026
Jackie’s rise to reality stardom began after Friends of Big Bear Valley installed a webcam in 2015 to capture the goings-on of her parents’ nest.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 10, 2026
A livestream featuring the Big Bear Valley nest of Jackie and her partner, Shadow, has hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
From BBC โ Aug. 10, 2026
There is one final bit of irony: Cornell’s longtime unofficial mascot is Touchdown the Big Red Bear, a tradition dating to 1915, when the football team once adopted a live black bear.
From Salon โ Aug. 8, 2026
Because Bear Stearns was big and important, and Cornwall Capital was a garage band hedge fund, Bear Stearns hadn’t been required to post collateral to Cornwall.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Cornell University has clarified that its dorm kitchens are for cooking food — not butchering bears.
From Salon โ Aug. 8, 2026
Mr. Zelensky watched from the gallery as the Senate advanced a bill that now bears Graham’s name.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 7, 2026
And yet, for the third week in a row, the proportion of bears was greater than that of bulls.
From MarketWatch โ Aug. 7, 2026
Its appearance bears little obvious resemblance to the spiders and scorpions that descended from its broader evolutionary lineage.
From Science Daily โ Aug. 4, 2026
“What if polar bears do that in every house and building?”
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Architect Dr Rachel O'Grady, who specialises in urban strategy, told BBC News NI "the bare bones of a really excellent city is there".
From BBC โ Aug. 10, 2026
Price discovery is critical, else you get hoarding, shortages and bare shelves.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 9, 2026
He added that teams often had to "dig through concrete and twisted steel with their bare hands".
From Barron's โ Aug. 4, 2026
The day was sticky enough that the plastic adhered to my bare shoulder.
From Salon โ Aug. 4, 2026
Lily shrieks in protest and drums her bare feet against my shins.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Herbert escaped the pocket to his left and slung a pass while falling away as defenders beared down.
From Los Angeles Times โ Dec. 19, 2024
Hurricane Otis interrupted tropical vacations for some visitors and put a stop to a mining convention in Acapulco, Mexico, as the storm beared down on the city early Wednesday.
From New York Times โ Oct. 25, 2023
“The guys put their mind to it and beared down. Kind of: ‘Enough’s enough,’” Reid said.
From Seattle Times โ Oct. 17, 2021
Wrestling fans around the world beared witness to some of the most iconic moments in WWE history at Sunday night’s edition of WrestleMania.
From Fox News โ Apr. 8, 2019
After a hesitation, he turned back to Kira and said in a low voice, ‘‘I beared them talking.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Even if he were actually talented at the former, which he is not, it would have no bearing on the latter, and the consequences of that are turning out to be substantial and damaging.
From Salon โ Aug. 7, 2026
The jacket belonged to his late father, whom he remembers hovering over a record player, bearing songs from a more thrilling world.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 5, 2026
Arab Gulf countries and their economies are bearing heavy costs from the regional war.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 1, 2026
Some governments may also conclude that bearing the costs of a more robust response is preferable to living with repeated crises affecting international shipping and energy supplies.
From BBC โ Jul. 30, 2026
She pauses at a page that holds a scrap of paper bearing the looping signature of Lainie Burgess, next to a space where an equal-sized piece has been removed, leaving only a bright blank void.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
One of these objects would be cheaply humorous; a gallery full of them turns into a bore.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Jul. 24, 2026
England's only significant change in the India series was a new opening combination of Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell, and it bore fruit at Lord's.
From BBC โ Jul. 20, 2026
Among the British nationals who died were couple Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bédar, the village that bore the brunt of the wildfires.
From BBC โ Jul. 14, 2026
Typhoon Bavi knocked out power to thousands in Okinawa and lashed northern Taiwan as it bore down on storm-battered China, where it is expected to make landfall early Sunday.
From Barron's โ Jul. 11, 2026
He thought about Memorial Hall, a quiet corridor in the temple that bore a permanent list of fallen Sons etched directly into the stone walls.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
That study even found negative effects for participants born after 1986, including an increased likelihood of not being employed or enrolled in school.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 10, 2026
Putellas was born in a municipality of Catalonia called Mollet del Valles in the province of Barcelona, and regularly watched games at Nou Camp as a child.
From BBC โ Aug. 9, 2026
The Mothers of East Los Angeles — the legendary women’s group that took on Eastside politicos in the 1980s and 1990s — was born in Resurrection’s pews.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 8, 2026
For people born between Jan. 1, 1951, and Dec. 31, 1958, RMDs generally start at age 73.
From MarketWatch โ Aug. 8, 2026
Mother asked the night sounds to tell her the number of children she’d born.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Over the weekend, an uneasy ceasefire established itself across the Persian Gulf, suggesting Signum’s theories had been borne out and validated by events.
From MarketWatch โ Jul. 27, 2026
However, supporters of Hayya successfully argued that Gaza's leadership, having borne the brunt of the conflict, should now lead the movement.
From BBC โ Jul. 20, 2026
He does not need to lift his team into the postseason, a burden often borne by marquee free agents signed to put their team over the top.
From Los Angeles Times โ Jul. 20, 2026
“Depending on whether the increase is borne by employees or employers, it reduces household income and/or increases production costs, with negative effects on consumption, investment, and/or competitiveness,” the report warns.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Jul. 16, 2026
There flowered a White Tree, and that was for Gondor; but Seven Stars were about it, and a high crown above it, the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ยฉ Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritageยฎ Idioms Dictionary copyright ยฉ 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
